The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Azalea plant botanically known as Rhododendron hybrid and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Lazamored’.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Independence, La. during the spring of 2006. The objective of the breeding program was the development of Azalea cultivars with attractive flower color with multi-seasonal blooming and that perform well in the garden.
The new Azalea cultivar is the result of cross-pollination. The female (seed) parent of the new cultivar is ‘Red Slippers’, not patented, characterized by its medium red-colored flowers, dark green-colored foliage, and vigorous, semi-upright growth habit. The male (pollen) parent of the new cultivar is ‘Arabesk’, not patented, characterized by its dark red-colored flowers, dark green-colored foliage, low growth vigor and compact growth habit. The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated cross-pollination during September 2007 in a controlled environment in Independence, La.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since September 2007 in Independence, La. and later in Loxley, Ala. and Irvington, Ala. has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.
The following characteristics of the new cultivar have been repeatedly observed and can be used to distinguish ‘Lazamored’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Azalea plant:                1. Medium red-orange colored flowers;        2. Dark green-colored foliage;        3. Moderately vigorous, upright-mounded growth habit; and        4. Strong multi-seasonal reblooming.        
Plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of the female and male parents primarily in having strong repeat blooming. In addition, plants of the new cultivar differ from the female parent in having reduced growth vigor and a different growth habit and from the male parent in having a different shade of red flower color.
Of the many commercially available Azalea cultivars, the most similar in comparison to the new cultivar is Autumn Cheer ‘Conlef’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,579. However, in side by side comparisons, plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of ‘Conlef’ in at least the following characteristics:                1. Plants of the new cultivar have a flower color different from plants of ‘Conlef’;        2. Plants of the new cultivar have a larger corolla diameter than plants of ‘Conlef’; and        3. Plants of the new cultivar have a leaf color different from plants of ‘Conlef’.        